Buying Two Sets Of Return Train Tickets Cheaper?

[Jennykenny]

From our local station to London return, (with an open return) it costs £35.00.

If I buy a daily return ticket on the way out (and discard the return half) and then buy a daily return ticket from London on the day I come back, (and discard the return half) the total will only be £22.00.
Is there anything to stop me doing this, and will the'home' station sell me the two return tickets??

[Old_Geezer]

No. Who is to know ?

[sunny-dave]

The 'home' station probably won't sell you the ticket starting in London.

You could always buy them online - in separate transactions if need be.

It will work just fine - unlike airlines and ferry companies (which can enforce "you must use both halves" rules - and charge you extra if you don't) there is no way a train company can know if you have actually travelled.

[EDDIE51]

This is fine fully legal, the station just sees you buy two return tickets. If they say anything just say you have to go on 2 consecutive days . Just check how much 2 singles are though in case it is cheaper.

[Jennykenny]

Thank you. Very helpful.

[bednobs]

no-one will care -

[baza]

Buy one ticket dated today and one dated tomorrow no problem.

[ladyalex]

Also might be worthwhile looking at the Ticketty Split website which tells you hwo to split your ticket so that it is cheaper. Daft but true.
http://splitticket.moneysavingexpert.com

[Buenchico]

I'm confused as how to you got those fares to start with. The Off Peak (One Month) Return fare from Worthing (which I believe is roughly where you are) to London is £34.10. The Off Peak Day Return fare is £30.70. So how do you get £22?

Booking two Advance Singles though (if you're travelling at less popular times) can get the fare down as low as 2 x £5 = £10 return.

[BlackadderV]

You can go into any station with a ticket office and buy a ticket for any rail journey. There is nothing to stop you going into London Victoria and buying a ticket from Edinburgh to Glasgow. When I worked for National Rail Enquiries it was common knowledge at the time that a cheap day return from Peterborough to Melton Mowbray and a cheap day return from Melton Mowbray to Birmingham was much cheaper than a cheap day return from Peterborough to Birmingham. As long as the trains physically stops at the station where one ticket ceases and the other takes over there is nothing they can do about it. People used to say, that if you did that you had to get off the train at the changeover point and re board. That is not the case.

[Tuvok]

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/split-cheap-train-tickets/

[Tuvok]

Martin Lewis MoneyShow is on about train tickets now - you might be able to catch up on ITV player